What is Chiasmus? A Definition…

Chiasmus is a Greek term meaning “diagonal arrangement.” It is used to describe two successive clauses or sentences where the key words or phrases are repeated in both clauses, but in reverse order. For this reason, chiasmus is sometimes known as a criss-cross figure of speech.

For example, consider the common phrase:

When the going gets tough, the tough get going!

“Going” and “tough” are reversed in successive clauses, while the other words (when, the, gets) bind them together and often include straightforward repetition (the, get/gets).

In the general pattern, when your first clause contains two words A and B, then the second clause contains the same words, but in reverse order:

[1] … A… B… [2] … B… A…

Each of “A” and “B” can be either a single word, or a group of words. Graphically, it looks like this:

Isn’t that antimetabole?

Some rhetorical glossaries distinguish between chiasmus (diagonal arrangement of ideas and grammar) and antimetabole (diagonal arrangement of exact words). According to this, every example on this page is antimetabole. However, chiasmus is the more common term, and this subtle distinction is probably beyond what most speakers care about. So, I’ll follow the lead of those who describe both as chiasmus, like Jay Heinrichs. The key point is not knowing what it is called, but rather using it in your speeches!

Chiasmus from John F. Kennedy

Chiasmus was a common technique used by John F. Kennedy (or perhaps his speechwriters). We include just a few of his chiastic phrases here.

For example, the most famous line from his Inaugural Address (January 20, 1961) reverses your country and you in successive parallel clauses:

Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.

In the same speech, he says:

Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.

In his address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 25, 1961, he repeats that line, slightly massaged to reflect his audience and his relationship to it:

[…] we shall never negotiate out of fear, we shall never fear to negotiate.

The same speech includes:

Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind.

Finally, his 1963 address on the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty includes:

Each increase of tension has produced an increase of arms; each increase of arms has produced an increase of tension.

Guideline 4: Riff off Chiasmus Examples

If you’ve never tried to craft chiasmus before, a good place to start is taking a known chiasmus and using it as a template into which you can substitute one or both key repeated words.

Cicero is quoted as saying:

One should eat to live, not live to eat.

This has been morphed numerous ways, including:

One should work to live, not live to work.

You could take the basic pattern and apply it your situation. For example, a speech about passion while speaking might include:

A professional speaker doesn’t just speak to live — she lives to speak!

While researching this article, I came across an intriguing book titled Never Let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You by Mardy Grothe. With hundreds of chiasmus examples, there’s an awful lot to riff off of. I may have to add this to my Christmas list.

Your Turn: Try it Out!

With a little brainstorming and experimentation, you can elevate your speeches with chiasmus.

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Andrew Dlugan is the editor and founder of Six Minutes. He teaches courses, leads seminars, coaches speakers, and strives to avoid Suicide by PowerPoint. He is an award-winning public speaker and speech evaluator. Andrew is a father and husband who resides in British Columbia, Canada.